NEWS
“We Must Not Allow Political Competition to Become a Contest in Which Victory Is Perceived as Something That Must Be Achieved at All Costs” — Former President, Goodluck Jonathan Says, Raises Alarm Over Governors’ Presence at Off-Cycle Elections
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has raised concerns over the growing involvement of serving governors, senior political office holders and influential party figures in off-cycle elections, warning that the practice could pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s fragile democratic system if allowed to become the norm.
Jonathan made his position known in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, August 18, following the recently concluded Osun State governorship election, where political heavyweights from across the country converged on the state to support their respective candidates.
The former President specifically pointed to the recent elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states, describing the scale of political mobilisation involving serving governors and other powerful actors as unusual and capable of creating tension around the electoral process.
The concern comes against the backdrop of the Osun governorship election, in which several All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and their entourage were present in Osogbo, the state capital, in support of the party’s candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.
Oyebamiji eventually finished second behind Governor Ademola Adeleke, who contested under the Accord Party, after results were announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
While commending INEC, security agencies, political parties and the people of Osun for the conduct of the election, Jonathan said the political activities surrounding off-cycle polls deserved closer national attention.
“While we commend the electoral process itself, there are developments surrounding the election and, more importantly, an emerging trend in political conduct during off-cycle elections that raises concerns.”
He expressed particular concern over what he described as the increasing tendency for serving governors, senior public officials and party leaders to arrive in states where elections are taking place, accompanied by large numbers of aides and security personnel.
“The growing practice whereby serving governors, senior political office holders, party leaders and other influential government functionaries, accompanied by large number of aides and heavy security details from outside a state, converge on states where elections are being conducted raises an issue that demands national attention.
“The conduct witnessed around the recent elections in Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states was, in my view, unusual. It is not a practice that should become normal in a democratic society,” he said.
Jonathan recalled that similar circumstances arose during the 2013 Anambra and 2014 Ekiti governorship elections while he was President, saying he took decisive action after being briefed about the situation.
“Upon being briefed, I ordered party leaders and senior government officials to leave the states immediately,” the former President noted.
Jonathan acknowledged that political parties have a legitimate right to campaign, mobilise supporters and deploy their structures during elections. However, he warned that such activities could become problematic when they involve overwhelming displays of political power on election day.
“Political parties are entitled to campaigning, mobilising their supporters and deploying their legitimate party structures. That is an essential part of democracy.
“However, there is a point at which political mobilisation, particularly when it involves the overwhelming presence of serving governors, senior public officials and powerful political actors from across the country on election day, can create an atmosphere of apprehension, intimidation, bullying and undue pressure.
“We must ask ourselves whether the increasing deployment of political power and large-scale mobilisation by senior office holders on election day in states holding elections is consistent with the spirit of free, fair and peaceful democratic competition. This hardly happens in other democratic countries.
“We must not allow political competition to become a contest in which victory is perceived as something that must be achieved at all costs,” Jonathan said.
The former President further warned that allowing the trend to continue could trigger a cycle in which rival political parties respond by deploying their own governors, officials, security details and supporters to every state conducting an election.
“If the current trend becomes established, what happens when governors from opposing political parties begin to descend on every state holding a competitive election?
“What happens when each party seeks to match political power with political power, governmental influence with governmental influence, and mobilisation with counter-mobilisation?
“Such a development would not strengthen our democracy. It would deepen political tensions and could make elections increasingly resemble battles for political survival rather than peaceful contests for the mandate of the people,” he stated.
Jonathan also reminded public office holders that their actions carry greater weight because of the authority and influence attached to their positions.
“Those of us who have occupied public offices must recognise that our conduct carries a greater responsibility.
“The power and influence attached to public office should be used to strengthen democratic institutions, not to create apprehension among political opponents or citizens,” Jonathan added.
To address what he described as the emerging trend, Jonathan called on the National Peace Committee to urgently convene a broad stakeholders’ meeting to examine political conduct during elections and establish acceptable boundaries.
He said the proposed engagement should provide a neutral platform where political leaders and other stakeholders could openly discuss concerns surrounding the conduct of off-cycle elections and agree on standards capable of protecting Nigeria’s democracy.
Jonathan proposed that the meeting should include the leadership of registered political parties, INEC, relevant security agencies, the leadership of the National Assembly, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, civil society organisations and the media.
“I believe that the National Peace Committee is particularly well placed to lead this conversation because of the confidence and moral authority it has built over the years in bringing political leaders together at moments of national tension.
“An early national conversation can help us establish appropriate boundaries and expectations for political conduct before practices that are unusual today become accepted as normal tomorrow,” the former president said.
Jonathan’s intervention has added fresh momentum to the debate over the role of political influence, state power and security presence in Nigeria’s off-cycle elections, with the former President urging political actors to ensure that the pursuit of electoral victory does not come at the expense of democratic stability and public confidence in the electoral process.